I have 3 seedlings, about 3-4 weeks in. There only 4" tall, but only like the last 1-1 1/2" of them have leaves. The first 2 weeks these guys were under CFL (1 3000 Lumen one and 1 500 Lumen one). They are now under 400 Watts in a closet grow. Light is 3' away from the plants. Ventilation is great now, and the heat is a constant 90-96*F. I have two 2 liter bottles filled with a c02 mixture. My soil is C-I-L Moisture Mix (Premium All purpose potting mix) 0.02-0.03-0.02 contains, Sphagnum Peat moss, Composted bark fines, Perlite, Moisture plus crystals & Plant-Prod Fertilizer. I water when ever the top of the soil is dry, to a depth of 1inch. They are in 6" tall clay pots with drainage holes. Been in these since the first day. why they are like this i dont know. I think its because i had it on those CFL and they got stunted... can someone tell me what i did or am doing wrong? Also i gave them some liquid Fertilizer, a couple drops each (8-7-6) with their water yesterday.
your soil is fine. your problem is that your light is three fucking feet away when it's only a 400 watt hps. 400 watts need to be within 1 foot of your plants at least. they are "light stretching"
ok i just noticed that on one of the plants there are a couple little brown spots, very small, lower fans.
Your soil is not great. It has a bit of ferts in it which is not great. You also look to be over watering. Let the soil dry out to at least an inch deep before re-watering. Also, what is the temp in your grow room? Three feet is a bit far but if it is too hot then you have no choice.
The temperature is usually 87-96*F, jumps around depending on how hot it is outside, or if i have the A/C on. I have changed the soil today to a potting soil, this soil is 0.5-0.4-0.2 with enriched compost, its also used for tomatos, so i knew it would be good to use... ill follow your directions and keep you posted next few days... thanks btw
ok, by "not great" the above poster said you had nutes in it. You still have nutes in o that soil, which is what he means by "not great." Anyways, there is really no way to make that hps cool down unless you install a ventilation system venting out to somewhere in your house's ventilation ducts. But yeh, the plants will not thrive unless it is within 1 foot of your plants.
i live in an apartment, so there are no ducts. Just those annoying wall hugging heaters. I guess ill need to come up with something quick eh? How about this, why dont i install 4, 3000 Lumen output CFL lights like 3" above the plants and ditch the HPS for now, until i can build a better ventilation system? I have the lights and everything i need already, i was using only 1 of these in the beginning of the grow, in a tiny cab. Before i got the HPS.
Don't be afraid to use CFLs. I love em. The daylight flavor with a color temp of 6500k is great for veging. I have no ventilation except a cracked door, and my temps don't hit 90. But you may live in a hotter area than me.
i am using them now, not even a day and a half later -- instantaneous growth occured. Tri tipped leaves, new ones coming up... fuckin aye.
Tough little biatches huh? Get an oscillating fan on them to strengthen the stems and bring down the temps a little. They will love you for it.